For swarms like this the easiest thing to do is send an email to dcbees@dcbeekeepers.org. There are many local beekeepers who are more than happy to take care of a swarm like this. Though I do have bees, unfortunately, I don’t have experience in catching swarms yet!

And, although this looks scary, those bees are extremely docile in a swarm state. They’ve just gorged themselves on honey and are resting while scout bees go out in search of a permanent home. That said, I wouldn’t recommend for someone inexperienced to try and catch a swarm.

Just so you know, we got this very peaceful and LARGE swarm with NO STINGS to anyone, beekeeper or normal citizen, and the bees now live in a hive at an Earth Conservation Corps facility near the river (essentially, the Ritz-Carlton for bees).

We are tremendously grateful when someone spots a swarm of bees and lets us know, and we do our very best to help them continue their important work in places where people won’t freak out.

We can do this with most swarms, and would like very much to find a way to help the general public be less afraid of mankind’s one and only trusted insect partner, from whom — meateater, vegan, or in-between — 1/3 of your food comes, and a whole bunch of the food that supports wildlife, too.